


Long Road to Ruin

by theregoesmyfearow



Series: Long Road to Ruin [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: M/M, Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-06 16:01:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4228089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theregoesmyfearow/pseuds/theregoesmyfearow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a good reason Team Rocket doesn't dare to take over Hoenn. Here's why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Break's Over

**Author's Note:**

> ORAS-based, working with the whole "they used to work together" which is canon in the ORAS-verse. Chapters will likely follow (I don't really want to say POV because it's 3rd person but following one character at a time) one character and then flip over to the other. But it won't be following anyone besides Archie and Maxie.

     Being a Team Rocket grunt was just a job. The promise of good money and being part of a huge undertaking was too good to pass up. After all, Team Rocket didn’t have any bases in Hoenn, so who could have known what it would all really mean?

     Sure, there were stories. There were little news reports that would come in from Kanto or Johto. “Team Rocket Disbands!” was usually followed by another headline a few months later saying they’d reformed. But soon, there were mailings and posters showing up in Hoenn about how Team Rocket was under new management and recruiting.

     A twenty-year-old from Pacifidlog got such a poster handed to him by an older man who’d seen it on his travels. The man had been looking for Mirage Island yet again, but ended up in Mossdeep this time.

     The young man, Archie, had decided to go to Kanto to see how he could work his way up to a fortune. Instead, he found misfortune. Being a grunt was degrading, and Archie often thought about how he’d do things differently if he was running the show. He’d treat his team well if he was running a team, and he’d give them the respect they deserved so long as they respected him. It was simple enough of a concept.

     But then there were the researchers. Archie had seen them- crusty old men and the occasional younger woman bustling in and out of labs. One of the older grunts had told him that the researchers were scary people, and that the old scientists were the ones responsible for the experiments gone wrong that were rumored to be found around Cinnabar Island. So Archie was terrified of what horrible mad science he imagined was being practiced in the labs.

     One day, though, the grunt got enough courage to go check it out. After normal lab hours, Archie decided to sneak in. He spied a silhouette standing near a table and watched carefully, but he accidentally knocked over something. Glass shattered to the floor. The next thing he knew, the figure in the darkness had kicked him in the gut, knocking him to the floor. The lights were flicked on, and a very angry researcher was standing over him.

     This researcher didn’t look at all old and crusty. After a couple of seconds, Archie started to wonder who this person was. Thoughts raced, but they were chased away by Archie’s conscience giving a lecture about how it’s a dick move to assume anyone’s gender and to just get any ideas the hell out.

 

     “What are you doing in here?”

     “Took a wrong door, tried to figure out where I was?”

     “Wrong answer. There will be consequences.”

     “Okay, okay, but I’m not trying to intrude, I just wanted to know what researchers did all day. Okay? Can I go?”

 

     The scientist just stared. Archie was terrified of what was going to happen to him. The hell kind of consequences were coming? This researcher had kicked him and knocked him over. What with the rumors about Cinnabar… oh, how an imagination could run wild.

 

     “Ugh. You know what? I could actually use some help. Okay? If you do exactly as I say and can promise your penmanship is legible, you can stay put and watch me.”

     “Thank you so much.”

 

     So Archie helped out the researcher. He wrote down the observations that were dictated to him and didn’t speak unless he was spoken to. The experiment seemed to be centered around getting an eevee to evolve in new ways. The researcher had a list of tests to perform, but the genius didn’t seem to really want to do some of the things on the list. Archie watched the eevee stare up sadly, and the researcher had to take short breaks between to collect themselves.

 

     “I’m sorry, eevee, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I know you don’t like the black sludge, but I need to see if you evolve. Okay? It’s my orders. It’s like I have a mean trainer who keeps telling me to use moves. Can you understand me?”

    

     Archie felt terrible about having to help, but even more he felt horrible for the poor eevee and the researcher that was ordered to run the tests.

 

     “That’s the last thing on the list.”

     “Yes, thank Arceus. Pokemon shouldn’t be treated like this. I just really need this job. Devon wasn’t hiring when I finished my degree, so I had to come here.”

     “Devon? As in from Hoenn?”

     “Yes. I’m from Fallarbor. I majored in Pokemon Studies, and I could have kept going, but I wanted to develop gadgets to help Pokemon. If I’d have kept studying I could have become a professor.”

     “I’m from Pacifidlog. The name’s Archie. Yours?”

     “Maxie. By the way, thank you for writing this all down for me. I have to type it up later, but I got everything done much more efficiently with your help.”

 

     Archie nodded and turned to leave. He heard the researcher make one last apology to the eevee before walking towards the door. Maxie got to the door before Archie did, and insisted on following Archie back to the commons. There was another hour before all workers would have to return to their dorms, but that was just enough time to talk. The two were able to discuss their homes back in Hoenn and how Kanto was so different. They agreed to talk again sometime soon, and Archie promised Maxie he’d give the researcher a tour of the training room.

     Eventually, a convenient day came. Archie wore a sleeveless shirt and sweatpants. He smirked when he saw Maxie wearing a similar outfit but with long sleeves and a lot baggier. But he was surprised to see that the lanky researcher could actually lift decently. Archie challenged Maxie to show off, but he was confused when Maxie told him to stand with him on the mats and charge.

 

     “No, just run at me. I need the momentum. I promise this will be good, just come at me like you’re going to plow me over.”

     “Uh, okay. If you wish.”

 

     Archie ran at Maxie like he was instructed. The next thing he knew, he was flipped onto his back. The skinny asshole had suplexed him. He let Maxie help him back up. Archie just stared, absolutely floored at what had just happened.

 

     “How? How the hell?”

     “You had good momentum there.”

     “You just. I’m bigger than you, and you flipped me.”

     “I have a different center of gravity. It was physics, Archie.”

     “And here I was worried I was going to hurt you.”

     “Well, don’t. Don’t worry about me, I can hold my own.”

 

     Later, Archie tried to insist on buying ice cream, but Maxie turned down the offer to go back to the lab. Archie went back to the commons and joked around with some of the other grunts, but he couldn’t shake the image in his mind of Maxie. That skinny researcher, the one with his bright red hair tied back and lab coat at least one size too big. Those big black-rimmed glasses reminiscent of a super nerd’s. And that fiery stare. Archie wasn’t going to forget that stare easily, not since he’d seen Maxie smirking after suplexing him. It was great to see someone who’d be an excellent rival, and even more exciting that a friendship was already starting. Archie went over the recent events in his mind, internally commenting that he’d really have to get to know Maxie.

     But the more Archie remembered, the more he realized he was in deep. Not only was he embarrassed about how much he was thinking of that researcher, but he also knew he despised working for Team Rocket even more with how they carried on tests. Something would have to be done, but what?

     Opportunity was likely to strike at any moment. Archie kept his eyes open for possibilities. He worked his way up to favor with the higher-ups and kept a close eye on possible missions. It took a couple of months, but Archie was recruited for a plan to start a headquarters in Hoenn. The Pacifidlog native was itching for a chance to go home, but he didn’t want to keep working for Team Rocket. He especially didn’t want their taint to spread over his home region. That night, he went to talk to Maxie in the lab. But they had to be quiet.

 

     “I know, Archie. I applied for it. I’m one of the best younger researchers they have. They know I studied in Mauville, they know I studied here in Kanto under Oak, and that I studied battling under Blaine. I’m their best shot, but to be honest I’d rather not be. I just want to go back to Hoenn.”

     “We could plan something. Or wing it, you know. Come on, Maxie. They want me to be higher up on the food chain in Hoenn. We could work something out, get things changed-“

     “They won’t change. It’s all money, top down. They give no shits about the pokemon. I can’t do this.”

     “Then uh. I don’t know? We sabotage the plan?”

     “Archie. Do you know what would happen to us? We’d never be heard from again, and I suspect that means we’d be dead.”

 

     Archie thought for a while. Well, he was certainly in far too deep. But he knew he had to get out, and he knew he was taking Maxie with him. But they held power, didn’t they? They could do something. It wouldn’t be impossible, just improbable. But Archie knew that if he was going to be higher up, he’d have command. If only Maxie could get involved, there’d likely be a damn good plan to sabotage Team Rocket. Such a horrible combination of a gang and big business didn’t belong anywhere, let alone Hoenn.


	2. The Take Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teamwork makes things fall into place. Team Rocket gets a hint.

     Opportunities were not to be wasted. A Rocket Researcher cleaned smudges off of his glasses before putting them back on. He put his long red hair into a ponytail and got down to business. He had been working on different ways to boost pokemon’s strengths. There had to be something beyond rare candies.

     The researcher, Maxie, had managed to get a pokeblock machine from Hoenn into the lab. As soon as he heard there would be a mission to Hoenn, Maxie had signed up. As the weeks of preparation dragged on, though, the revelation came that the main goal wasn’t to steal something from Hoenn or just scout out new recruits. Team Rocket was planning to expand its reach to the region.

     Maxie was adding different things to the pokeblock machine along with the berries. After all, if pokeblocks made pokemon better at contests, couldn’t they also help with strength for battle? But between tests, he made some regular pokeblocks and gave them to an eevee he’d been ordered to test on. Maxie had been trying to regain the poor thing’s trust, and it seemed to be working. It would be unlikely that he’d be able to take it along to Hoenn, but he really wanted to try.

     And then there was the possibility of being actually assigned to work with that one grunt. Archie. The tough, rather rude grunt who cared about that eevee just as much as Maxie did. They’d spent time together and gotten to know each other a little bit, and Maxie had gotten a chance to prove he had skills other than what would be helpful for research. Besides, they’d be a good team for the idea of trying to sabotage the Hoenn mission. Archie had a way of using brute force in battle, while Maxie was far more strategic. It would be a good combination.

     But Archie had decided to rely on Maxie for the plan. It wasn’t really that far, as Maxie had enough on his plate. He had to keep up the reputation of stellar researcher and still try to keep his cool under the horrible conditions. To come up with a strategy for taking on the huge criminal organization that Team Rocket had become was absolutely hell for one person to work on.

     A few days before the trip, Maxie met with Archie in the lab after hours, as they had been doing for a while. The eevee sat on Maxie’s lap while he petted it. Plans were discussed. The two were going to play it cool and watch for a chance at taking the Rockets by storm. Archie started going on about a sneaky espionage attempt, but Maxie interjected.

 

     “No. It’s not enough just to infiltrate. I have enough experience with electronics, though my potential remains untapped. However, I could reprogram some devices, have them give incorrect orders to the grunts that would be accompanying us.”

     “Well, if they’re going to make me an Admin in Hoenn, then that wouldn’t be as necessary, would it? I could tell them what-“

     “Archie. Someone’s going to question it. I’ll back you up. By the way, we’re taking this little one along.”

     “The eevee? Maxie, that’s not going to fly, is it?”

     “I need more than just my numel anyway. Eevee doesn’t deserve to stay here either, if anything it deserves that less than we do. It trusts me now, I can take care of it.”

     “Fine, but make sure we can get this done.”

 

     The next day, the eevee was willing to be captured. Maxie nicknamed it Euclid and made it part of his team. Having more than just a numel was likely to help. Archie already had a trusty sharpedo and a machop, which definitely fit his personality. It was getting to be time to leave, though. Maxie finished up his research in Kanto and went to go pack what little he had to go back home to Hoenn. Journals of research and ideas were definitely going along- those would definitely help.

     On the ship ride to Hoenn, Maxie was somewhat relieved to see that his attempts at getting a recommendation had helped. He was assigned to work with Archie, and thus had been assigned a cabin with him. The cabin-sharing wasn’t the best thing in the world, but the two could at least make some plans. Unfortunately, though, Maxie spent most of the trip trying to sleep off seasickness. The journey to Kanto had been the same way. At least he had someone who tried to comfort him for the ride back home.

     When he felt better, though, Maxie started reprogramming a communicator. The device was able to receive calls and had a primitive screen to receive text messages. With some work, Maxie was able to scramble the frequency so that it wouldn’t be able to receive signals.

     Archie’s status as Admin in Hoenn would give Maxie access to all of the communicators that the grunts would be using. He and Archie planned to tell the higher-ups that the distance was messing with the frequency of the communicators. From that, Maxie would be able to send new orders through the primitive text feature. Even if someone would figure out that something was up, it would be too late to stop the sabotage.

     Before arriving in Hoenn, all of the grunts’ communicators were scrambled. The one Executive who’d been sent on the trip left with the ship to go back to Kanto. Maxie and Archie were left in charge of the forty grunts who’d been shipped off to Hoenn. It seemed like a good portion of them didn’t even want to go in the first place. When Maxie had seen what was all going down, he couldn’t help laughing. It was all too easy. He’d have to send reports back to Kanto periodically, but oh how incredibly simple it would be to lie. Any loyalty he’d felt when joining the team had been shattered by how they treated pokemon. It was time to be just as ruthless right back at those disgusting jerks.

     On the first night, the group dispersed to go scouting and stake out potential places to use as a headquarters. Maxie had suggested using the entrance to the freshly abandoned New Mauville, only to find it had been locked since he’d left. There was still enough space though to set up a few things temporarily, so that was the makeshift base. Giovanni’s plan seemed to be that after the scouting was done there’d be a proper Rocket base. Unfortunately for the boss, though, it wasn’t going to happen.

     The grunts had all gone to scout, so Maxie and Archie were left to try to sleep on the concrete floor near the locked door. It wasn’t the best shelter, but it was better than having to pitch a tent. Maxie had brought along a sleeping bag that he’d used during long nights in the lab. The warm Hoenn weather was soothing, and having the sleeping bag zipped up wasn’t necessary. As he looked out of the large entryway, Maxie saw the stars. He hadn’t gotten a chance to look at the stars since he’d left for Kanto. There hadn’t been much of a chance to think about anything other than work since then either.

     There was an interesting topic to think about. As Maxie stared at the tiny pinpricks of light across the deep sky, he realized that it was a bit odd how he’d worked extra hard at a job he hated just to end up working with Archie. There was the justification that friends needed to stick together, especially friends with common interests. But Archie had kept asking about spending time together. He’d even offered to buy Maxie some ice cream when they had the rare days off. And of course, it had started to seem as if Archie was trying to show off. That part had been a bit puzzling at first- why would a friend feel the need to show off to the other so much? Out of context, that was definitely a thing someone like Archie would do, but in context was a bit different. It didn’t seem to be friendly rivalry. It seemed to be a plea for a certain kind of attention.

     Camping out lasted for a while. The grunts were sent out on wild goose chases across Hoenn while Archie and Maxie sent horribly inaccurate replies to irritated letters from the Executives. Maxie noticed that Archie was giving more eye contact than usual, and that he was laughing in an almost exaggerated way. Curious, Maxie tried mirroring these quirks. Of course, this only made the quirks escalate. That’s when the realization hit. Archie was interested. Not in an amused way, but in a romantic way. Maxie was intrigued. But the condescending thoughts halted soon enough. After all, wasn’t he doing a lot of thinking about Archie? And then the little experiment- he was probably leading that goofball on. Unless-

     -Unless it had stopped being an experiment and had morphed into a pathetic attempt at flirting. The thought was definitely valid, but not something to be dealt with at that moment. Maxie had an entire criminal organization to stump. He and Archie needed to get Team Rocket the hell away from Hoenn, and with such an undertaking there was no time for petty romance. Still, though, there was one thing that could be done.

 

     “Archie, you look absolutely exhausted. Haven’t you been sleeping?”

     “I’m fine. I mean I’m not used to sleeping on quite as hard of a surface. I thought it would do wonders for my back- I mean not that I need that but I thought it’d be good. It’s not.”

     “Well, as it turns out, this sleeping bag can unzip and unfold to the size of a full bed. If it would be more comfortable for you, we could share it. If our plan is going to work you need to be sleeping better.”

 

     Maxie unfolded the sleeping bag and stared at Archie. The Admin crawled onto the sorry excuse for a mattress and tried to get some sleep. Maxie followed suit, all the while trying to rationalize the situation as being concerned for a comrade. After all, it was true that sleep deprivation would potentially be a downfall.

     In the morning, Maxie woke up at the crack of dawn. He found that Archie’s hand was resting on his arm but wrote it off as a coincidence. He hated to make the Admin have to get up when clearly the sleep was doing a lot of good. So instead, Maxie decided to make a quick breakfast of food they’d bought in town the day before and work on adapting some gadgets. Later on would be a good time to train for when the higher-ups eventually figured out what was happening. But for the time being it was best to just keep guard and worry about making sure the plan would work long enough to break away.

 

     Within the week, a Team Rocket Executive had arrived in Hoenn. It seems that someone didn’t buy the excuse that the technology was broken no matter how much Maxie insisted that he knew a lot about gadgets and that Team Rocket should just do away with the outdated model. But by then, the grunts had been thoroughly confused. Some of them had seen through and realized that Team Rocket was exploiting the pokemon for money. Others had just come to see Maxie and Archie as great leaders. A few sided with the Executive, but ran when the Executive was defeated in battle by Maxie and Archie working together. In true Rocket fashion, the Executive tried to call for backup but was instead fired on the spot. Before the order could be stated that Maxie and Archie were also fired, the two quit. The grunts who’d decided to stay quit as well. Maxie didn’t realize he’d grabbed Archie’s hand in a burst of confidence and protectiveness until after the opponent had stomped away.

     Maxie pulled his hand away quickly and glared as intimidatingly as he could. There wasn’t time. Just because they’d won didn’t mean Team Rocket wouldn’t come back. But for the time being, they’d driven the assholes out of Hoenn. The final message that came over the last communicator before it was smashed was a message that the operation involving Hoenn was to be abandoned as the conditions were too “inhospitable” for Team Rocket’s plans.

     Maybe one day there’d be time to even remotely consider working out what the hell was going on between him and Archie, but Maxie had other plans to start with. Perhaps there’d be a way to hide the previous Rocket affiliation and start working at Devon. After all, that’s what he’d wanted all along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh don't worry, Euclid and the mystery machop will have something happen that closes a gap... Just sit tight and wait.


	3. Something From Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Development and observations, showing that even someone who's not a researcher can figure a few things out and make a mental note of results... you just gotta hope you can do something about it if something goes wrong. But not all outcomes are bad.

     Something was up. Archie stared out the window of a Rustboro apartment he and Maxie had managed to rent. It had been only a scant week since the sabotage on Team Rocket had worked. But something was different.

     Archie knew that Maxie was working his ass off trying to get hired at Devon. The genius was playing with an old pokegear from Johto and trying to do something else with it. But he’d seen Maxie work on devices before. Maxie was usually enthusiastic and engaged, but he seemed too preoccupied to be working on the pokegear. Archie walked over to the table where Maxie was working.

    

     “Are you okay?”

     “I’m fine.”

     “You’re sure? You’re getting decent sleep and everything?”

     “I’m fine.”

     “You know, I’m sure they’ll hire you right off the bat. You’re really smart, and isn’t that what they’re looking for? You’re good with technology. You’ll do fine.”

     “Can you just leave me be for a while?”

 

     Archie frowned and walked away. There was definitely something weird going on, but he wasn’t going to pry. He knew Maxie had a fiery passion. That he’d seen during the battle with the Team Rocket Executive. He bit his lip when he thought about how everything had gone. Maxie had been absolutely furious. Archie had thought to just charge right ahead with his attacks, but Maxie had been strategizing very quickly, even with a seemingly blinding rage. And then Maxie had grabbed his hand.

     That moment had been the strangest, but Archie had just let it happen. Maxie had grabbed his hand and taken a step forward, all the while screaming at the Executive. The details were a bit fuzzy, as everything had just happened all at once, but Archie remembered Maxie saying something about Hoenn being his and another thing about having a partner. How did that go? “This is my home. Stay out. And this is my partner, you dare mess with us? We will fuck you up.”

     But at the same time, something felt right. Sure, Archie knew it was a bit unheard of for someone so lanky and seemingly harmless to act protective of him. After all, he was pretty strong and in his mind he should be the one acting all protective of Maxie. But the redhead didn’t need protecting at all. The two were equals. They were incredibly similar, despite being so different. Archie admired Maxie’s intelligence and true concern for the well-being of pokemon. Pokemon needed to come before everything, didn’t they?

     Archie knew something was developing- or at least it had been before Maxie started acting a bit sluggish and anxious. Maybe it could develop anyway. Maybe they could have something between them, and it could be more than just a tight friendship.

     The next day, though, Archie noticed that Maxie wasn’t working on anything. Instead, the redhead was sitting sideways across the couch with his hair down. That was something different- Maxie almost always had his hair tied back as either a ponytail or rarely when working, a bun. Archie walked closer and saw that Euclid the eevee was sitting on Maxie’s lap. The pokemon didn’t look very well. In fact, the eevee’s coat had started to look dull. It had a glazed-over look in its eyes as it stared up towards its trainer.

 

     “Maxie.”

     “Not right now, Archie.”

     “Is Euclid going to be okay?”

     “I- I think so.”

     “What’s wrong?”

     “I think all the tests did this. This is why pokemon shouldn’t be mistreated.”

 

     There wasn’t a lot that could be done. Archie bought a few antidotes at the mart and Maxie tried using them on the eevee. Unfortunately, it wasn’t helping. Archie knew that in Pacifidlog there was an old lady who’d take care of ailing pokemon, but that was far away. Though there were plenty of old ladies in Rustboro. At least one would have to know how to help the poor eevee.

     Archie was able to find someone who could care for the sick pokemon. Maxie was reluctant to leave Euclid behind, but after a long pause he nodded and placed the eevee in the old woman’s arms. Archie could see that while Maxie was keeping a relatively straight face, the man’s eyes betrayed all. It was a few days before Maxie started working on the pokegear again. Archie was concerned, but there wasn’t much he could do.

 

     “Maxie. You know the poor little guy’s gonna be fine, right?”

     “He was dying, Archie.”

     “No.”

     “I know it was for the better that he’s with someone who can care for him properly. And at least he doesn’t have to spend his last days with the disgusting Rocket Scientists.”

     “Maxie, he’ll be just fine. You’ll be able to take him back soon.”

     “You go on and believe that for me then.”

 

     Archie did his best to help Maxie with his projects and kept an eye out for signs that Devon would have an opening. He got to know plenty of people around town and even some employees. One of the employees offered to put a good word in. Things seemed to be looking up.

     But one afternoon Archie came home to find Maxie holding the pokegear and shaking. He ran up to his friend and snatched the device away to look at it. Instead of showing the time and some phone numbers, the pokegear had a little pixel display of the Hoenn region’s map. It was quite obvious that Maxie had just copied it off of the map on their wall, but it was portable.

 

     “It- it doesn’t show you where you are because it’s just a graphic! But it’s at least a map. So if you know where you are you know where to go next! Also- also it can register the names of your pokemon if you put them in. I think it could show type matchups if I made a database but I can’t do that right now, I don’t have a computer. If I had a computer here I could make a database and import all of the type matchups!”

     “Slow down there. This is brilliant though, wow.”

     “Archie, we need to get a computer. I could do all sorts of stuff. Oh, I don’t even need Devon, do I? I could compete with them, I could make my own gadgets. But I’d need the materials, wouldn’t I? Then I do need to get hired. I could show them what I can do!”

     “Maxie. Can you calm down? How much coffee did you drink?”

     “Three pots. Oh, Archie, this is the best. I’ve come so far, and there’s no way they won’t hire me now!”

 

     Archie gently walked Maxie to a chair and had him sit down. While it was somewhat adorable that Maxie was so excited, the amount of caffeine wasn’t going to be good at all. That thought lingered, though. Adorable? That with the concern that went beyond what was probably normal for a friend meant something definitely had changed. Archie stared for a moment trying to work it out when he saw that Maxie had dissolved into burying his face in his hands and muttering something about being annoying. Archie assured the redhead that he wasn’t at all annoying and that it was rather cute that he was so excited about such an accomplishment.

     That seemed to make things worse. Maxie looked up with his eyes wide and with an expression like someone trying not to laugh about something. Archie tried to remain neutral but ended up awkwardly smiling himself. Maxie just ran to his room and slammed the door. Regret sunk in.

     A couple of days later though, the house phone rang. Archie picked it up. His eyes went wide and his heart felt like it had dropped when he heard the news. Maxie’s eevee was going to be staying at the pokemon center because it had gotten too sick. He watched as Maxie gingerly stepped closer with a horrified expression. It was obvious that the researcher had picked up on what was happening. Archie handed the phone to Maxie. A trip to the pokemon center was organized, and the nurse there said that Euclid would survive if there was constant care. Maxie insisted that the nurse should keep the eevee.

     Archie and Maxie walked back to the apartment. The walk back was silent. When they arrived, Maxie flopped on the sofa and stared at the ceiling. Archie wished he could do more to help, but all he could really do was offer to be around if Maxie needed anything.

     After a week, things were starting to get back to normal. Archie got a job loading cargo for an older man near Petalburg. Maxie pitched his idea to Devon and while he wasn’t hired on the spot one of the scientists promised to keep him in mind. A lazy day gave them time to rest. After all the time spent trying to get things in order, there was finally a good day to calm down and process the events that had come to pass.

 

     “Archie. Did you mean that? When you said it was cute that I was excited?”

     “Hmm? I don’t remember- oh. Yeah. Yeah, it’s kinda adorable when you’re excited.”

     “Oh dear.”

     “What? Is something wrong?”

     “Do you like me, then? Sometimes you act like you like me.”

     “What happens if I do? I like being roommates.”

 

     The conversation was left at that point. Archie expected Maxie to get up and shut himself away again, but that didn’t happen. Instead, things just got quiet and stayed that way. Perhaps it was time to take a rest and let the situation work itself out. After all, it was becoming obvious that taking it slow would likely be better. But hell if Archie didn’t want to speed it up just a bit.


	4. Just One Mistake Is All It Will Take

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sticky situation will force you to think. Make a distraction if you don't want to be swallowed up.

Maxie slid on the kitchen chair, breaking out of his usual habit of sitting stiffly and taking up as little space as possible. He slid until he was close to falling off and let his feet be the only thing keeping him from landing on his ass on the floor. The former Rocket member looked up at Archie, who was watching him.

     It wasn’t at all worth it. The previous attempts at gathering information had proved to be correct. Archie admitted to liking him, though in a roundabout and somewhat denying way. But the asshole had tells, and the awkward smirk pretty much guaranteed that there was something romantic afoot.

     The amount of things needing Maxie’s attention had increased. There was the attempt to get hired as a researcher. There was the fact that background checks could possibly dig up dirt. There was the heavy, imprisoning guilt that the poor eevee’s plight was his fault. And then trying to sort out feelings for Archie? That was only going to create more stress.

     But the priority was Euclid. That eevee. Maxie had rescued the small creature, but from what? Team Rocket, yes, but hadn’t he been ordered to perform the tests on the poor thing? Hadn’t he been the one that had gotten the eevee poisoned on multiple occasions even though there’d always been an antidote right after? Maxie remembered that somethings he’d had to give the eevee were synthetic- made by the scientists who were paid loads of money to create those substances. Having anxiety anyway was bad enough, to add the crushing guilt was just awful.

     Maxie sighed. Everything just had to happen to him, didn’t it? Perhaps it was best to just let things take their courses. If one thing could be put behind him, maybe everything else would just follow.

 

     “Well anyway.”

     “What, Maxie?”

     “I like you.”

     “As a friend, I’d have to assume.”

     “Well, you know what happens if you assume, right? You make an ass out of you and me.”

     “Okay, smartass. Are you saying you want to be more than friends?”

     “I don’t know. Do you want to be more than friends?”

 

Maxie just sat there, watching to see what Archie would do. A moment of silence was followed by Archie getting up and picking Maxie up only to set him back on the chair properly.

 

     “Sorry, that’s just- that can’t be good for your back. Anyway, that would be cool. We should date.”

     “Are we actually going on dates, or are we just dating?”

     “You know what? We can get dinner. That would be good.”

     “I accept this offering of mutual food consumption as a romantic gesture.”

     “Maxie.”

     “That time was on purpose, okay? Lighten up.”

 

     So that was that. They were going to date. Maxie had to admit that it was different, but at the same time it made logical sense. The two had left Team Rocket together, gotten rid of the jerks together, and became roommates to share costs. Maxie cared about Archie, and he knew Archie cared about him.

     Maxie got up and carried on with the rest of the day. He’d sent in an application to Devon, and all that was left to do was wait. Waiting turned to fiddling with electronics again. The seemingly guaranteed job doing what he loved was enough to brighten Maxie’s day just a little. That and officially having an answer on the whole romantic situation. It was great to be correct. Besides, having a boyfriend meant he and Archie weren’t just going to go separate ways and not have a way to talk to each other in case something was to happen.


	5. Your Mess is Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes being there for someone is all you can do, but it's so very important.

     The way home from work was time to think. Archie had to trek through Petalburg Woods. Walking the same route every day to and from work had gotten him used to finding his way through the trees. Walking to and from places was quite a different concept from swimming. Rustboro was just about the opposite of Pacifidlog.

     The same path through the woods every day, walking next to his machop. Archie let his mind wander through observations he’d come across in the previous couple of weeks.

     Dating. He and Maxie were already roommates, but dating meant noticing a little more than he had before. Archie had left Maxie to pretty much keep to himself. He hadn’t really seen how quiet and private Maxie was when conversations and mutiny weren’t actively taking place. Archie decided to let Maxie deal with any affection. After all, wouldn’t that redhead just come to him if he needed anything? It was probably for the better to let things progress slowly.

     When Archie got home though, he noticed something about his machop. The pokemon seemed less excited to be home than it was when it was helping lift crates by the sea. Of course the pokemon would be a mirror of its trainer, right? After all, Archie missed the sea. That’s why he’d taken a job loading cargo onto a boat. It would be better to get back to Pacifidlog- maybe he could save up for a trip. He could bring Maxie along… except if memory served, Maxie wasn’t going to end up enjoying that at all.

     The phone rang. Archie was about to go answer it when he saw Maxie get up off of the sofa and jump right over it. Maxie answered the phone excitedly and only seemed to get happier as the phone conversation went on. Afterward, Archie grinned and asked his boyfriend to elaborate on what had happened.

 

     “I got the job! They loved what I can do! I get to study Pokemon and work on helping them. This is amazing!”

     “Hey, congrats, Maxie! That’s some really good news.”

 

     Archie was pleasantly surprised with a tight hug. This seemed to confirm his idea of letting things happen at their own pace. Besides, it was cute to see Maxie being affectionate. Archie made a special dinner that night despite Maxie’s insisting that it wasn’t that important and that they didn’t need to be doing anything extra.

     Things were going well once Maxie had the job at Devon. He’d come home every night and Archie would be waiting to see him before bed. One night Archie had to go to bed early for early work the next morning, and he woke up to find Maxie sleeping next to him. It was tempting to just go back to sleep and enjoy the company, but unfortunately it was necessary to get up at the asscrack of dawn.

     Thankfully the weekend arrived. Archie got called to help with a few crates, but on the walk home he imagined getting home to see Maxie and maybe visit the small beach just north of Rustboro.

     Archie came home instead to find Maxie panicking on the sofa.

 

     “Maxie? What happened?”

     “Oh thank goodness you’re back, we need to go.”

     “Are you going to tell me where and why?”

     “We don’t have a lot of time. Pokemon center. Now.”

 

     Maxie dragged Archie along out the door and to the Pokemon Center. There still wasn’t a clear explanation. But once the two got inside the center, there didn’t need to be an explanation. The nurse brought out a small brown fluffball. Archie recognized that fluffy little pokemon. It was Maxie’s eevee.

     Archie sat next to Maxie, who cradled the eevee on his lap. The poor pokemon had its eyes shut, presumably showing its trust. After half an hour, though, Archie looked into Maxie’s eyes and saw actual tears. The nurse got up and walked over. Archie knew what she’d figured out. She asked Maxie if he’d like to go along to Mt. Pyre, but he refused. Archie tried to figure out why.

     Everything came up blank. Archie couldn’t place the feeling. He’d been attached to that eevee, but it wasn’t his. He’d considered letting his machop choose to go live with sailors if it wanted to, but that would be more like watching a child grow up. Archie knew how hard Maxie had worked to repay Euclid for the horrible things Team Rocket had caused.

     All that could be done was support. Back at home, Maxie just went to bed. Once Monday hit, Maxie went to work as normal, even though Archie told him it would be reasonable to take a day off.

 

     “You don’t get it. I need to keep going forward.”

     “Maxie. You’re clearly still upset.”

     “I’ll work it off. And I’m helping pokemon now. Pokemon I won’t feel guilty over. I won’t be responsible for hurting them.”

     “If that’s what makes you feel better, then go ahead.”

     “Thank you. I had a good day at work actually. I can’t tell you what I get to work on, but it’ll be good.”

 

     The days went on. Archie worried about Maxie, but there wasn’t room to interfere. Every night, Archie listened to Maxie telling glorious stories about what he could do outside of work to help Pokemon. Some of the ideas rubbed Archie the wrong way, but for the most part everything sounded good.

     But then everything started to go the same way. The ideas went from building a habitat for pokemon to full-out constructing an artificial island for them to live on. The fragile balance of life and the sea would be interrupted. Archie figured that Maxie just didn’t understand because he’d never had to live life dependent on the sea. But at the same time, Archie was a bit bothered and hoped it was only a phase.

     Still, it became clear that being supportive was going to help. Maxie seemed to be getting closer. Archie smiled every time he’d wake up to find Maxie snuggling up against him. Perhaps there was a good reason the two had been able to become mutineers against Team Rocket.


	6. Take It As It Comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's always little things to help you move forward- even if it's one and a half steps forward and a shaky step back every time.

     Maxie couldn’t imagine anything better than finally getting to work at Devon. His mood was soured by the loss of the eevee he’d tried so hard to save. Deep down, it was clear that the event was something to learn from. It became imperative to work through the pain and keep going.

     After all, Devon worked for the good of pokemon. Maxie knew it would be difficult to move on- but that was understandable. The pain just had to be turned into motivation. He’d just have to work hard and prevent other pokemon from suffering a similar fate.

     Research was a perfect fit. Having studied for a couple of months under Professor Oak in Kanto had brought Maxie to the decision to not become a professor, but it had taught him a lot about how pokemon behave and how to study their habitats.

     Habitats became an important part of work at Devon. One brainstorming session before Maxie had started working there resulted in a plan to create habitat-like pokeballs. So Maxie had been sent to work on that.

     Ideas were difficult to actually work out. Maxie started by taking inspiration from the different habitats in Kanto. But there wasn’t a lot to go by. Caves, fields, forests. Those existed in Hoenn also. But was there time to really go research these places? Of course not. But perhaps there were other ways to get ideas.

     When Maxie came home one night, frustrated and tired, an idea suddenly hit. There was one habitat Hoenn had far too much of, and his boyfriend knew a hell of a lot about it.

 

     “Archie? What’s the sea like as a habitat?”

     “Hmm? You mean the shallow parts, or the depths? You want to know what kind of pokemon live around Pacifidlog? What about the sea?”

     “Just I don’t know, what’s the feeling of it?”

     “Wet.”

     “Archie, please.”

 

     A few moments of silence followed. Maxie didn’t know what was about to happen, but it wasn’t going to be pleasant. He was correct. Archie proceeded to explain everything about living on the ocean and how the pokemon lived near Pacifidlog. It wasn’t at all anything that really interested Maxie, but it was at least some insight towards potential pokeballs.

     After three months of planning and development, the dive ball was released.  The employees were given a few as a promo. Maxie wrapped one up in some printer paper and gave it to Archie as a present.

 

     “Whoa, so you were working on this? Nice.”

     “I helped. It was a team effort, but it got finished.”

     “It’s amazing, Maxie. Thank you.”

 

     Maxie was glad that Archie loved the dive ball, but at the same time, it wasn’t the best thing ever. It was for pokemon that lived in the ocean. The ocean wasn’t interesting to Maxie at all- in fact, he figured there was far too much ocean.

     But that didn’t matter. Not then. What mattered was helping pokemon. And who better to partner up with to help pokemon than a boyfriend? Maxie decided that on days off, he’d get Archie to help research in Petalburg Woods.

     The result was being embarrassed while studying the characteristics of the forest as Archie teased about Maxie finally wanting to go on a date. These forest walks soon became dates instead of research opportunities.

     The dates became more frequent, but still toned-down. A short walk to the small beach past Rustboro after work was just the thing for quiet times and deep thought. Sometimes it was just good to sit and think and just let that be the date.

     The only thing wrong with the beach was the sea. Sure, it looked somewhat serene when sitting on the beach and holding hands with a loved one.

     The solution had become obvious. There wasn’t enough space on land to protect pokemon. There was a safari zone in Kanto, and plans for one in Hoenn were being drawn up. The Devon Corporation’s president wanted a refuge for pokemon that were rarely found in Hoenn. But what about the ones that were already common? Didn’t they matter also? The Safari Zone would take space from the pokemon that already lived in the area. It was almost as if those at Devon whose jobs depended on studying pokemon habitats weren’t quite able to see the big picture. It was almost as if people at Devon in general weren’t as focused as Maxie’d imagined them to be.

     It was difficult to keep from breaking down under all the weight of work and realizations as well as the stress from everything that had happened. But Maxie still sat there, staring out over the waves and gripping Archie’s hand tightly.

     Maxie didn’t even move when he felt Archie gently kiss his cheek. It took a few moments for everything to sink in. He rested his head on Archie’s shoulder and smiled. A little bit of peace went a long way.

     The two flopped backwards and looked up at the sky. The sun was nearly setting, leaving oranges and purples above. Eventually though, the stars began to peek through the deep royal purple and the moon started to rise over the trees. It was time to go home. Maxie and Archie got up and brushed the sand off of themselves. The walk home was just as quiet as the time spent on the beach.

     When they got back, Archie went and immediately sat on the couch.

 

     “Hold on, you don’t know all the sand is off of you.”

     “Come on, Maxie. Lighten up a bit.”

     “There’s going to be sand on the couch. It’ll get in the cushions, we’ll never get it all out.”

     “You know, I think next week I’ll fill my pockets with sand and then sit right on the couch. I’ll let it disperse into the fabric and the cushions.”

     “You ass. Fine, whatever. You’re the one vacuuming. I’m going to take a shower, I’m pretty sure there’s still sand in my hair.”

 

     After the shower, Maxie got ready for bed. He noticed that Archie was still sitting on the couch.

 

     “You haven’t budged, have you?”

     “Nah. I was just waiting.”

     “Don’t you have to work in the morning?”

     “So do you.”

     “Why wait, then?”

     “For you. I don’t know, Maxie, I guess I wanted to say goodnight.”

     “Oh. Well, you know, if you can’t sleep you can bunk with me.”

     “Oh, really now?”

 

     Maxie watched as Archie got up off of the couch and walked towards the bedroom door. An idea hit.

 

     “Wait, Archie, no, not my room. You’re probably full of sand yet, don’t get sand in my bed.”

     “Fine, fine. But you can’t complain about my room being a mess.”

     “Deal.”

     “And you have to be the little spoon.”

     “Well, otherwise my arm would fall asleep and I wouldn’t want that.”

 

     Maxie smirked and headed for Archie’s bedroom. It really was a mess, but that didn’t matter. They both had to work in the morning, and even if working at Devon was starting to become just the daily grind, Maxie still wanted to be ready bright and early to do his best.


	7. Same Black Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Absence can make the heart grow fonder, but so can the cool winds of fall.

     The seasons changing brought calm, but also a chill. Archie was given the chance to sail for a couple of days with a small cargo ship. He’d been anxious about being away from home, but Maxie had insisted that a short trip would be good. The ocean breeze around Slateport was cold. The water near Pacifidlog was warm all year round, and the winds that brought waves weren’t nearly as chilled as the autumn gales elsewhere. But still, there was something calming about the sea that reminded Archie of his trips to Mossdeep as a teenager. Sailing was still a natural part of him, and it felt great to get back to the ocean.

     A storm was brewing, setting the crew back a day. Instead of heading for Petalburg right away, Archie was forced to wait. Fortunately, it meant a chance to get to the market in Slateport. There were loads of goods to pick from, but a goal had formed in his mind. Archie remembered that Maxie’s birthday would soon arrive. All sorts of options for presents lined the stalls of the market. Fresh produce wouldn’t be a good option, but there were plenty of other things. Archie spotted a numel doll. It would be absolutely perfect.

     Unfortunately, another storm hit when the ship was close to Dewford. Archie was able to call Maxie from the Pokemon Center there to relay the news. Meteorological reports showed that the storm wasn’t going to clear up for another two days.

 

     “Yeah, I get it, we’re three days behind now. It won’t take a whole day to get back to the Petalburg dock, so it’ll be around an eight hour trip back home.”

     “Oh. Well, stay safe, Archie.”

     “Will do. I’m really sorry, though. I mean, your birthday’s in two days.”

     “It’s fine. How do you think I spent it last year? In a lab, working on things I’d later find out hurt some pokemon. Trust me, this year will be better than that.”

     “I got you something in Slateport. You can have it when I get back.”

     “Okay, sounds good. Thank you.”

     “I miss you, Maxie.”

     “I- I miss you too? I’m not moping, but yes, it’s quite different and lonely without you around.”

 

     Archie waited out the storm and thought about how things had been going. Maxie seemed rather anxious on the phone, but his words didn’t sound too much like he was upset. It was the small crack in the redhead’s voice that betrayed it. Archie knew everything was fine back in Rustboro, but it was hard not to worry. The thrill of being on the sea was starting to wear off.

     And then there was the machop. Archie’s machop absolutely enjoyed being on a ship and helping the sailors. Ever since he’d found the pokemon in Kanto, he’d been attached to the muscular little guy. But seeing his pokemon having a lot more fun sailing and lifting cargo was bittersweet. The machop seemed as if it belonged on a large cargo ship, not the little ones that brought Devon products and other cargo to Dewford Town and Slateport City. Archie had an idea. It was going to be sad, but it would be for the better.

     Archie asked a sailor in Dewford if he’d be willing to take the machop back to the shipyard in Slateport. The sailor agreed, and the machop seemed incredibly eager to go back and help build and sail ships. The pokemon gently headbutted Archie and with a call of “chop chop!” it stayed behind as Archie left with the cargo crew for Petalburg. It was difficult but it was for the better. The poor pokemon deserved to do what it loved, and Rustboro didn’t have any more opportunities for that than Kanto did. The whole farewell put Archie in a depressed mood, but at least he had someone to come home to.

     When Archie finally walked through the apartment door, Maxie greeted him with a hug and a kiss. Everything seemed to be as it had been before the trip. Archie held up a package and let Maxie snatch it away to open it. Upon seeing the numel doll, Maxie smiled even wider and hugged Archie tightly. Archie stared into Maxie’s grey eyes and grinned. The sea was like home, but it was great to be back.

 

     “I’m really sorry I was gone for your birthday, Maxie. But I’m glad you like your present.”

     “It’s adorable, just like my numel. And it’s alright, Archie. I promise. I’d rather you be late than lost at sea.”

     “You should come along sometime. We’ll sail for Slateport, then up for Lilycove, then Pacifidlog-“

     “I’d be miserable. I’d be sick for the whole trip.”

     “I know. I just wish I could show you how fun it is to be on the open sea, with the salty sea breeze and the wailmer spouts in the distance. I wish you didn’t get so seasick so you could enjoy it.”

     “We could go to Fallarbor over the holidays. That’s traveling. It’d be cold, though, and I know you’re used to warm temperatures.”

     “Ya know, Maxie, maybe we’re proof that opposites attract.”

 

     Archie tried not to be disappointed, but it was difficult after leaving his machop behind. He decided to tell Maxie about it. It was reassuring that Maxie tried to comfort him, but Archie couldn’t keep his mind off of the idea of going sailing again. He didn’t really want to be away that long again, but the ocean called to him.

     A few days later, the weather had started to really get cold. Maxie assured Archie that the weather in Rustboro wasn’t as cold as it could get in Fallarbor thanks to the volcanic ash filtering the sunlight. But even still, Archie only went outside with a sweatshirt and a warm winter jacket. He was jealous that Maxie really only needed to wear a long-sleeved sweater.

      The cold also meant more excuses to cuddle. Archie had noticed that Maxie’s sweaters were tighter than the lab coats and button-down shirts. Days off meant being casual, but there was something alluring about a form-fitting, crimson turtleneck. Archie found that he was more able to tolerate the colder weather as long as his boyfriend was around.

     Rustboro would be fine. It would be a fine place to live for a while, even if it was so different from Pacifidlog. It was almost like being in Kanto, and it only served to remind Archie of Team Rocket. But at the same time, Rustboro meant he had Maxie with him. Archie was willing to put off going home to Pacifidlog for a while in order to let Maxie have at his dream job. Half of it was gratitude for helping him get out of Team Rocket, but the other half was that Archie just plain adored Maxie.


	8. Time Hasn't Told Anyone Else Yet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are going smoothly- for the most part. But the bumps in the road don't stop someone who's determined to make that journey.

     Winter set in, but the lack of snow had Maxie disappointed. He missed the snowy winters in Fallabor, even if the volcanic ash turned everything into a grey mess. Even Lavaridge could receive just a little bit of snow. But Rustboro? That part of Hoenn was lucky if it got a light dusting. Of course, there were parts that never saw snow, but not on the mainland.

     But the cold air meant nights spent snuggled up against Archie. Maxie greatly enjoyed having someone warm to sleep next to. It was a little easier to sleep, and that helped if he had to work in the morning.

     Working at Devon was still a good thing. The company had a few ideas that Maxie didn’t quite agree with, but overall everything seemed alright. The Safari Zone outside of Lilycove City had been completed with quite a bit of funding from Devon. At first, special pokeballs had been created for the occasion. Instead of just handing out Premier Balls as was usually the case for Devon, the company produced some limited edition Safari Balls. These balls didn’t really have anything special about them beyond the coloring. They were handed out to patrons of the Safari Zone at first, but eventually the large shipment ran out and they were discontinued.

     The Safari Zone was far different from the Cycling Road that had been given funding years before. Maxie used the Cycling Road when he studied in college. It was a perfect idea, as it didn’t cause anywhere near as much of an impact on the area’s ecosystem as the Safari Zone would. The Cycling Road went up and over the existing path, allowing people to quickly get from one place to another without disturbing the pokemon below.

     Maxie didn’t have much time to be upset about the Safari Zone before something else took its place. An announcement when he got home one night was all it took to be thrust into a different sort of hurt.

 

     “I’m going home for a couple of weeks. I have to.”

     “Oh. I guess I have to let you leave, right? But damn, Archie. That’s quite a while.”

     “Well, I’ll be leaving next week. I’m sorry, I just haven’t been home in so long. I mean, you could come along if ya want.”

     “I have to work. Besides, I’ll drag you down. I can’t go all the way to Pacifidlog. I’ll be sick the whole way. And it’s on rafts. I’ll be sick while we’re there.”

     “It would mean a lot if you came along but I know ya wouldn’t enjoy it.”

     “Just go, Archie. It’ll be good for you. I mean it.”

     “I’ll tell about everything when I get back. I promise.”

 

     The day of departure came and went. Maxie carried on as if it was just another short cargo trip. Archie called from the Pokemon Center a couple of times to try and get better phone quality. Maxie didn’t even have anything to say- he just let Archie ramble on about how he was staying with his friends that were like siblings to him.

     It didn’t stop him from missing Archie, but Maxie found that a quiet house was great for working on side projects. He was able to use a small, somewhat outdated computer he’d bought to start compiling a database of pokemon types and their strengths and weaknesses. It was simple, really. It had no pokemon listed in it yet. But it was something, and it would be good for battle strategy if it could be put on the old pokegear Maxie had reprogrammed to hold lists and a simple town map graphic.

     Work at Devon had been going well also. The company was working on a gadget with a map that could show people where they currently were located as well as information about towns, cities, and routes. It had other features as well, though it began as a device to research the feelings of pokemon. While Maxie knew the idea of a device that showed a map wasn’t new and had been around for quite a while in Johto, it was still great to work on the other features. One of the proposed ideas from some senior researchers was being able to register a trainer’s ID card and be able to set a wireless signal to search for battles.

     Maxie thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle of working out a way to use wireless signals in the device. After all, those signals would be important to the main feature anyway. It was better than trying to work on improvements to the already released Running Shoes. Those didn’t seem to be able to be improved- the amount of speed they could add to one’s running wasn’t really added speed, just better shock absorption and rebounding soles.

     Over the weekend, Maxie decided to take a day trip to Lavaridge. He took his own pair of Running Shoes up Mt. Chimney to look out over Hoenn. The view was absolutely gorgeous. On one side, it was possible to see all the way to the tall buildings in Rustboro. On the other side, it was easy to be mesmerized by the glowing lava in the volcano’s crater.

     Back at the apartment, there was about an hour of silence before the phone rang. Maxie answered it and got an earful.

 

     “You picked up. Oh. I stopped expecting it, I mean I tried calling earlier and ya didn’t answer so I figured maybe you were taking a nap. But ya don’t sleep heavily, Maxie. So I tried calling later, but ya didn’t answer that either, and-“

     “I went to Lavaridge for the day. For a break. Sorry.”

     “Oh. No, that’s fine! Take all the breaks ya need.”

     “Archie, have you um. How many sailors are there out there? And on the ships you take?”

     “Loads. Why?”

     “You’re picking up their speech patterns.”

     “Oh. So I am, eh? It’s being back by the sea where I belong. Should’a known me way back when. It’s uh, the Team what changed me. Yelled that they couldn’t understand me.”

     “I’m sorry. I just noticed is all.”

     “No, don’t be. Anyway, I’m leaving tomorrow for home. I mean the apartment. I’ll be there in a couple ‘a days. Love you.”

     “I love you. I’ll see you then.”

 

     A couple of days later, Maxie went to Slateport and waited for the ship to come to port. He waited for Archie to get off of the ship and be surprised. The plan was that Archie would just go back to Rustboro and meet Maxie at the apartment. But the surpise seemed to work. Maxie found himself being hugged tightly and picked up off of the ground. After he’d been set back down, the kisses started. It was a little itchy, as Archie hadn’t shaved since before he’d left.

 

     “Wait. Oh, Max. You had to have gotten here by boat.”

     “Yeah.”

     “Was it awful? Jeez, you didn’t have to.”

     “It wasn’t as bad. Not long enough of a trip to hit harsher waves.”

     “So you’re alright?”

     “I didn’t get sick, if that’s what you mean. I did fall over though.”

 

     Archie just laughed and pulled Maxie into another hug. The two went and waited for a boat back to Petalburg, then went to Rustboro. Maxie sighed. It really had become home. The small, two bedroom apartment with barely a kitchen and no onsite laundry had become home. A quiet couple of hours spent on the sofa was all that was needed. Everything was just perfect.

     Eventually, Maxie couldn’t sit around any longer. He got up to make dinner. Archie followed to the small kitchen and tried to help. The idea of salad and sandwiches got sillier and sillier as the sandwiches started to include almost anything found in the refrigerator and the salad ended up mostly croutons.

     After the laughter had died down, the boyfriends sat down to eat their dinner. Over dinner though, the discussion got far more serious.

 

     “So uh, you promised me a recap.”

     “I told you loads over the phone, Maxie. What more d’ya want?”

     “You seem upset.”

     “Knew ya were probably gonna ask. So my mother found out what I’d gone and done. Apparently some sailors had run into Team Rocket and well, they explained to her what the Rockets did. I’m not welcome in my house anymore. I’m welcome with Shelly and Matt, but. Well, they were always like siblings to me. I just can’t go back home.”

     “I’m sorry, Archie.”

     “It was my fault, though. She doesn’ care that I’m out of that whole mess. Don’t blame yourself. Besides, who got me out, Maxie? That was all you.”

     “And you got me out.”

 

     That was all that needed to be said. That night, Maxie curled up next to Archie. They both needed to get up early for work the next day, and after all that had happened, Maxie knew Archie needed him around. It was the sense of home. Perhaps Archie was feeling the same warmth he was.


	9. Bad Case of the In-Betweens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes nothing makes much sense, but such is life.

     Winter gave way to spring. Everything was in bloom. Archie had come to love spring since leaving Pacifidlog. Back there, it was rare to see blooming flora. Near Rustboro, trees were absolutely covered in blossoms. Such sights were fascinating. And of course, it was tempting to use comparisons.

     Archie came home from work early and parked himself on the sofa. Eventually, Maxie came home from work. It was time for some innocent teasing to start.

 

     “Hey, guess what I saw today.”

     “Everything you looked at?”

     “Jackass. Anyway, I saw some nice sights today. The trees’re pretty grand. And the sunset. But ya know? Those weren’t the best things today.”

     “Oh? Pray tell.”

     “The best thing I’ve seen all day? That’s you, Maxie.”

     “Oh, stop it.”

 

     Archie smirked and walked away. He did mean it, but it was still teasing. He knew damn well that Maxie wasn’t fond of cheesy romantic nonsense. But the cheesy stuff was what Archie did best. He decided to follow Maxie to the kitchen.

 

     “It’s gonna be a nice day tomorrow.”

     “Oh? Right, you’ve been home. Weather report?”

     “Nah. Ya heard the saying before, right? Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.”

     “So the sunset was rather rouge, I take it?”

     “Almost as red as yer hair. Not quite as beautiful, though.”

     “Okay, what did you ruin?”

     “Nothin’. Just want a bit of fun is all.”

 

     It only served to bother Maxie more. Archie laughed and went back to the sofa. But something was a little off. Usually Maxie would eventually give in and take a compliment. Usually there’d be kisses after a bit of teasing.

     Archie sighed. Leaving Maxie alone would probably be the best course of action. He really wanted to know what was going on, though. But maybe whatever it was would surface soon. After all, Maxie did have a way of exploding under pressure. Archie didn’t really want it to get that far, but there wasn’t a lot that could be done without making it worse.

     Later on, the prediction became correct. Archie watched as Maxie suddenly got up from his chair at the kitchen table and angrily march to his own bedroom. The redhead didn’t even flinch at the sound of coffee mug hitting the floor- but Archie did.

     Something was definitely up. Maxie was always neat and wouldn’t stand for a mess. Archie immediately went to go clean it up. Thankfully it wasn’t one of the really good coffee mugs, but it was still not a pleasant event. After the shards of porcelain were cleaned up with a dustpan, broom, and lint roller, Archie went and stood outside Maxie’s door.

 

     “You can bunk with me if that’d make ya feel better.”

    

     There was no response. Archie decided it was best to just let things go. It would likely make a bigger problem to push for an answer. After all, the mess was cleaned up. Everything else was fine.

     Half an hour later, Archie heard a soft thump on his bedroom door. He got up to open the door and found Maxie standing there, looking down.

 

     “What’d ya need, Max?”

     “I’m sorry about the mug.”

     “It wasn’ my favorite mug, so it’s all good.”

     “You didn’t get cut, did you?”

     “Nah. It’s all cleaned up. Now, you wanna come to bed?”

     “Do you really want me to?”

     “Of course. Is this about the mug? I’m not upset, I swear.”

     “No it’s- never mind. Let’s get some sleep.”

 

     Archie went back to bed and pulled back the blankets. After he’d settled in, Maxie joined him under the covers and kept to the side. It was definitely different. Maybe there was a really good reason for it, though. Archie assumed that Maxie just needed a little space without being completely distant. Everything would work out just fine, right? Time usually fixed just about anything.

 

     In the morning, Archie awoke to find Maxie clinging to him. It was a streak of luck that it was the weekend. It seemed like a good idea to sleep in and let the morning progress on its own.

     Archie could have sworn he’d just blinked, but looking at the clock showed that it was nearing ten o’clock. He decided he must have dozed off. But in that moment, he shifted just enough to wake Maxie. Archie was thankful that there was no negative reaction. Whatever had been going on, it seemed it had burned itself out.

     The day carried on much as any other weekend, save for being a little later than usual. Brunch at eleven instead of breakfast around nine. There was still plenty of coffee to be drank, though.

     Maxie was just sitting at the kitchen table, sipping his coffee. Archie wasn’t sure how anyone could drink such strong coffee plain. It usually went nicely with cream and sugar. But then, maybe it took such a bitter brew to keep a raging flame from getting out of control.

     An idea arose. Archie smirked and leaned on the table, his chin resting on his hands.

 

     “So uh, Maxie. Darling boyfriend. Genius inventor.”

     “Yes?”

     “What if we had some fun? Ya know, some real fun?”

     “And what if we did? What would you expect?”

     “I dunno. It’d be fun.”

    

     There was a pause. Archie sat up straight, his smirk disappearing quickly. Perhaps he’d done something wrong. But what? He didn’t want an argument, and he didn’t want to do anything else wrong.

 

     “Archie, what do you expect from me?”

     “I’ve come to expect that ya need yer space.”

     “I- I don’t. I need the opposite, but-“

     “Ya don’t know how to ask?”

     “It’s a little like that. It’s not your fault.”

 

     That settled that. Archie was relieved that he’d done nothing wrong. He was a bit upset that Maxie was still being shy, even after they’d been dating for some time. But as it was worth being patient for the flowers to bloom, Archie figured it was worth being patient for Maxie to get used to having a boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's way deeper than that, I assure you.


	10. Lost Souls and Revelries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asking all the important questions and building confidence to investigate further.

     The spring certainly was nice. Spring in Hoenn was far better than Spring in Kanto, but of course different parts of Hoenn had better things to experience during the season. Maxie missed going to Lavaridge for the winter and soaking in the hot springs. The spring always brought buds to the maple trees. The maple trees were gorgeous and one of the highlights of Lavaridge. The few that had spread to Fallarbor were brilliant as well. Rustboro had flowers. It wasn’t quite as nice, but it was good enough.

     Work was becoming a daily grind. Maxie didn’t know what it was about Devon, but something seemed a bit off. He decided he’d try to figure out what that exact off thing was.

     Going to work every weekday morning was tiring, but Maxie kept at it. The Pokenav project was in its beta stage. Testing the device was somewhat fun- unexpected input often gave gloriously glitchy results. Of course, these problems would be fixed, but it was fun to hunt down the tiny flaws in the product.

     Returning home after work was the best part of the day. It meant getting a chance to relax and think without the thoughts turning quite as negative. Home meant taking a rest from the corporate side of things. Maybe that was the problem? Money getting a bit in the way of helping pokemon? Maxie knew that at least he was getting to help some pokemon, but the potential that the Devon Corporation had was far greater than what they were letting on.

     One night Maxie came home to find Archie reading a newspaper. The headline on the front said something about Devon Corporation announcing an expected release date for a “new device”. Maxie knew exactly what it was.

 

     “Seriously? They’re giving us a full deadline?”

    

     Maxie stood in front of Archie. Archie just looked up and stared for a moment before reading a bit and then looking back up to continue staring. After a few moments, Archie spoke.

 

     “Oh. Oh, the Devon thing. They’re releasing somethin’ in a few months.”

     “A few months? Okay, I assumed it would be soon.”

     “Nah, apparently the president’s just announcin’ it.”

     “Well, hopefully it’ll be done by then.”

     “Haha, yeah. That’d be bad if it wasn’t.”

     “Quite. There are loads of people who could lose their jobs if it wasn’t finished.”

     “Do. Do the higher ups realize this?”

     “I really hope so.”

 

     Maxie sighed. Archie’s comment really rang true. Perhaps the higher ups didn’t realize that researchers and developers were probably horribly stressed out about their jobs thanks to the announcement. It almost seemed like something- something Team Rocket might pull.

     That was that. Either there’d have to be suggestions put in ever so subtly, or there’d have to be drastic measures. But overhauling Devon wasn’t going to happen. That wouldn’t be necessary, and not only that it was an absolutely terrible idea. Sabotaging Team Rocket was one thing, but completely overthrowing an old Hoenn company? Ludicrous. Obnoxious. Completely… moronic. Maxie silently scolded himself for even comparing a company that seeks to help pokemon with such abhorrent scoundrels such as Team Rocket.

     But there was something about the reminder that sparked a sort of interest. What about the time spent escaping? The time spent orchestrating the sabotage? The nights camping just outside of Mauville with Archie… and hadn’t something come from that? Hadn’t that been the catalyst that set off the current happenings? Two people who barely knew each other at the time. But even still, Archie turned out to be someone trustworthy, and eventually someone to love. Even if they’d come from different circumstances, things always seemed to converge somehow.

     Maxie was getting ideas. Grand ideas. Archie had stopped reading and had started sprawling out on the sofa. There was something about him that just furthered devilish ideas.

 

     “Archie. Do you mind?”

     “What? The hell’re you bothered for?”

     “Bothered… interesting word choice.”

     “Bothered. Irritated. Or well, it could also- oh. Oh ho, a double thingy.”

     “Double meaning, Archie?”

     “Like how frustrated has multiple meanings, yeah? Are you frustrated, Maxie? You’re all riled up n’ bothered?”

     “Quite. I’m absolutely all of those.”

 

     Just as Archie was starting to get off of the sofa, Maxie smirked and made a dash for his bedroom. Soft thuds of footsteps followed, and soon Archie was standing in the doorway.

    

     “Mmm, Max. Ya really mean it, hmm? Is this a challenge?”

     “Consider yourself challenged.”

     “Oh ho ho, ye’re on. Better be prepared.”

     “Mmmm, Archie, you should be prepared. What do you expect of me?”

     “Shit, this again? Maxie, I got no idea what ye’re goin’ on about.”

     “I’m not as I seem. I’m really not. You still want this? You still want me?”

 

     Archie stared. Maxie pulled off his shirt and grinned. He knew he was getting a reaction. Getting Archie to think. Getting him all worked up at the same time, all hot and bothered.

 

     “I still want ya, Maxie. I don’t care. I mean, I fell for ya, didn’t I? If ye’re offering, I’ll accept.”

     “Archie, if you’d have known me five years ago you’d have to really think to recognize me. I didn’t have to shave then, as I couldn’t grow a beard for the life of me. I had- I had a chest, Archie. I was transitioning. Do you get it now? You still want this?”

     There was a moment of silence. It was almost physically painful. If Maxie wasn’t already in his room, he’d have ran there and slammed the door. But the question was important. If the relationship was going in that direction, it was an important topic to cover. And such a steamy situation was probably the first time it had gotten to be important.

     The silence pushed on a bit. Maxie stared at Archie as if staring would make time move just a tiny bit faster. Time just needed to speed up by say, a few milliseconds. An answer needed to be reached, and there was going to be either a lot of dirty things happening or well, Maxie really hoped it wouldn’t come to a breakup. Thankfully, the silence came to an end. It had seemed like an eternity, but Maxie knew that realistically it had only been around thirty seconds.

 

     “Yeah, I. I’m not disgusted if that’s what ye’re asking.”

     “Oh. And you don’t uh. You don’t think of me as not being a man? Like not a real one?”

     “What? That’d be damn awful of me, wouldn’t it?”

     “Yes, yes it would.”

     “Nothing changes, Max. I mean, unless it means ya have a preference of position or something.”

     “Oh. Position, yes. Shit, have I killed the mood?”

     “If ya still want what ya were after earlier, then yes, considering ya look rather upset.”

     “Give me a bit to process the fact that this might actually work as I’d hoped it would.”

 

     A short span of more silence passed. A smirk war started, eventually dissolving into looks of intrigue. Something was definitely going to happen. Maxie was sure of it. He was prepared. He sat down on his bed and winked. Archie walked over and tackled him. Passionate kissing ensued and hands gripped shoulders tightly. Clothes were pulled off and tossed in the general direction of the bedroom floor.

     An awkward moment came and went. Maxie realized what Archie meant by “preferred position” and everything fell into place after that. Afterward, the two tried to get some sleep.

     The next morning, Maxie awoke to find that he’d slept with his glasses on. After verifying that the glasses weren’t broken, he got up and put some clothes on. The whole bedroom situation would have to be worked out eventually. There wasn’t really that much of a call for two whole bedrooms. One could be turned into storage. Maxie thought about turning his room into somewhat of an office for when he worked on his own projects. But at the same time, he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to completely give up having an entire full-size bed to himself some nights. After all, sometimes stretching out had its advantages. And then of course, there was the fact that Archie’s room was always a complete mess.

     Nothing was really set in stone. As he made breakfast, Maxie thought over recent happenings. Working at Devon wasn’t really set in stone. Life in general and its habits weren’t necessarily permanent either. There was still time. Though he’d accomplished quite a bit, there wasn’t yet a sense of satisfaction. And after all, he was only twenty-two years old. There was still time to redecorate what had become home. There was still time to learn and discover. Time to research, time to make plans. Maxie just hoped that there was more of a chance he’d keep his boyfriend than a chance he’d have to move on.


End file.
